Public Safety Dispatcher Trainee (Ventura Police Department)

Applications are accepted exclusively through the City of Ventura Career Site: www.cityofventura.ca.gov/jobs. Submissions through other websites or methods will not be accepted.

Applications and supplemental questions will be accepted until Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

Pay & Benefits

• Public Safety Dispatcher Trainee – $69,810.63 - $84,855.26 Annually DOQ

Hourly: Step A: $33.56 – Step B: $35.24 – Step C: $37.00 – Step D: $38.85 – Step E: $40.80

• Benefits

  • Medical Insurance (HMO, PPO options)

  • City Paid Dental and Vision Insurance

  • Life Insurance

  • Vacation & Holiday Compensation

  • Deferred Compensation

  • CalPERS Retirement

  • Wellness Program (access to gym facility and fitness classes)

  • Tuition Reimbursement & Bilingual Pay

About the Opportunity

The City of Ventura is hiring Public Safety Dispatcher Trainees! Start a rewarding career in public safety with the Ventura Police Department as the first point of contact for 911 emergency services. If you perform well under pressure, making logical decisions while gathering information in a fast-paced environment, the Public Safety Dispatcher Trainee position is for you!

Public Safety Dispatcher Trainees are an entry-level classification and are normally expected to advance to the Public Safety Dispatcher level after one year.

What You’ll Do

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE A DISPATCHER?

• The Communications Center runs 24/7, 365 days a year. It never closes.  Dispatchers work holidays and weekends. Overtime is usually voluntary. However, if not filled, overtime is mandated to maintain minimum staffing levels.

• All Police Department calls are answered by the team, including 911 calls. Fire-related calls are transferred to the Fire Department. All after-hours calls for Public Works and Records are handled by this team.  We are a primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dedicated call center.

• There are eight (8) workstations in the call center.  Each shift will have between five and eight dispatchers on duty. There is a supervisor on duty from 0600 to 0200 daily. Staffing depends on the hours of the day (determined by call volume) and varies from 2 to 5 people

• Dispatchers at VPD work four (4) ten-hour shifts, 4/10. Schedules are picked annually and are selected for the year. Schedules rotate every 4 months and are based on seniority.  

• Current Communication Center call volume (2025):

  • 176,702 total calls

  • 48,193 emergency 911 calls

  • 12,515 transfers to other agencies

  • 20,680 officer-initiated calls

Check out this video for a glance inside the daily happenings of the Ventura Police Department Communications Center: A look inside the Ventura Police Dispatch Center.

The Ideal Candidate – Preferred Qualifications

As an ideal candidate, you will:

• Perform well under pressure

• Multitask, displaying solid memory retention

• Excel in a fast-paced environment, thinking fast on your feet

• Act as a problem solver

• Enjoy nonroutine work

• Be able to type while listening and providing direction

• Communicate with clarity verbally, providing information with little time to spare

• Be able to work at a computer for long periods of time

• Interact with a variety of people daily, serving a diverse, multicultural, and multilingual community

• Act with professionalism always, understanding your performance is recorded and highly visibleBottom of Form

• Have prior experience in a dispatching role

• You will be bilingual in Spanish, highly desirable

Minimum Qualifications – Required

Public Safety Dispatcher Trainee: A combination of education, training and experience equivalent to completion of high school, keyboarding sufficient to perform the duties of the job, and one year of experience involving public contact, computer usage, or heavy telephone traffic are required. Experience in a dispatching role is preferable